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Cauldrons and feasting in the Iron Age

Cauldrons are an iconic, if poorly understood
class of artefact. They were probably used for boiling meat or
heating alcoholic drinks, such as beer or mead, in communal
feasting ceremonies. Tantalising references in early medieval Irish
and Welsh literature suggest they might have been imbued with
magical properties.

Prehistoric cauldrons fall into two groups. The first group are
in use from the late Bronze Age – early Iron Age (1200 BC – 600
BC). There are around 60 known from the British Isles and Ireland.
Like the beautiful example from the River Thames at Battersea, they
are constructed from sheets of copper-alloy riveted together. This
type of cauldron is most often found in watery contexts such as in
rivers or bogs, where it is thought they were deliberately placed
as offerings to the gods.

The second group are in use in the late Iron Age in Britain (200
BC – AD 100) and sometimes have iron components as well as
copper-alloy. They are rarer with around 30 known examples. The
Chiseldon cauldrons belong to this group and were found at a
settlement. Other examples have been found in graves, such as the
cremation burial from Baldock, Hertfordshire. The Baldock burial
also contained other feasting paraphernalia including two firedogs,
probably used to spit roast meat, as well as two wooden buckets and
a wine amphora.

Cauldrons are substantial vessels capable of containing large
quantities of food or liquid. It is therefore probable that they
were not used for everyday purposes, but were instead used for the
preparation of food and drink for feasts. Feasts are occasions
distinct from the everyday, when large quantities of food and drink
are consumed. In the Iron Age they were extremely important social
events, used to celebrate religious festivals, mark rites of
passage or even just to show off.